Rencor
by PermanentlyFrozen
Summary: She was perfect. Loved by all. He was just like her, yet received worse treatment. Ares has had enough of this, and together with another powerful force, is working towards having things change once and for all. But what if a being has double intentions? It could ruin them all. Then she could rightfully say, "I told you so." AthenaxAres
1. Appearance

On the mountain of Olympus, played small, glowing children with mythical creatures beyond compare. The sweet sound of their laughter as they chased the faeries filled the ears of the immortal beings who resided there. The giant, towering glittering tower of gold stood proudly on the peak of the mountain, reflecting the glory of the ancient Greek gods. Inside the palace, stood Zeus and Athene over the floor fashioned from the brightest gold. Athena sat peacefully on her throne beside her father as she watched him pace. Her sharp spear was held tightly in her right hand. The stormy light grey eyes of the raven-haired goddess watched her father with pride.

"We shall speak with the other dieties soon O Zeus, do stop pacing. Our problems will not be solved in this manner." Athena said calmly. She saw her father moved towards his throne, his cape composed of the lightest feathers fanning out behind him. Zeus sat down and the room shook as it acknowledged his presence.

"I do not like this. Because of these new roads the humans have devised, ideas about other insolent gods are spreading. We must find a way to stop this. I do not want my people honoring this 'Ra' when they should be honoring my son." Zeus clenched his fists and the room crackled. It always responded to the emotions of the King of Gods. Athena slowly removed her golden helmet and let her dark hair fall to her shoulders. It extended to the small of her back and fell in cascading dark waves. Slowly, lethargically, the goddess descended from her throne and took her father's hand. She was not affectionate towards any other but her father, whom she loved dearly. His free hand reached over to pat hers.

"We have nothing to worry about. Our existence has been contained because of the composition of Greece. The mountains do not allow the humans to travel as fast as others. We will simply build more roads. I can have Hermes oversee the entire thing, and Hephaestus will certainly supply all we need."

Zeus smiled slightly. "An excellent plan indeed. Have it commence as soon as possible. The more time we lose, the weaker we become." He reminded her. His voice boomed throughout the great hall. Athena nodded and slipped her hands from her father's grasp.

"It shall be done immediately," She said serenely. The goddess of strategy never raised her voice, lest she was baited to do so. Only a few gods knew how to incite her wrath, and they were foolish. Athena turned around and walked the entire rectangular length of the golden hall. Two large glittering doors opened for her as she exited. Dikaioma closed the door first.

"Lady Athena," She said meekly. The great goddess turned and raised an eyebrow, asking her to speak.

"Lord Ares was at the door, waiting for thee not too long ago." She said. Athena nodded and continued on her way down the thousands of stairs that led to the other hall of Olympus. Her gaze landed on a roguish male figure at the bottom of the stairs. Athena stopped walking and raised her chin in superiority.

"What is it you require this time, Ares?" She asked assertively. She saw him shift and ascend the stair case. He was at her side in an instant. Athena started walking down the stairs quickly, forcing him to go faster in order to keep up with her.

"I am here to see if you have considered my proposition." He answered as he fought to keep up with her. Athena rolled her eyes and got to the bottom of the stairs. She refused to answer him and turned left, heading towards the chambers. "Have you?" Ares asked impatiently this time.

"I am in no position to think about unimportant things at the moment. Our father needs me to—"

"Our father needs you all the time! This is urgent!" Ares snapped. Athena continued walking, her expression devoid of any emotion.

"Do not interrupt me." She simply said. She headed towards her workshop, where she knew her brother liked to sneak into and create things. Athena stopped at the large golden door and entered. It swung aside with a large boom and revealed Hermes, who was using her tools to fix his watch. Caught by surprise, the messenger god hid everything quickly, although he knew she had already seen.

"Have you ever heard of knocking?" He claimed in exasperation. Athena's lips curved into a slight smile. Hermes was her favorite. He helped her in any way he could and also had a thirst for knowledge. Ares still stood behind her, the permanent scowl on his face growing deeper when she saw his half-brother.

"This is my workshop, brother. I should not have to knock at all." Athena responded. She set her helmet down on the marble table located in the center. "What are you making?" She asked, looking over his shoulder. Hermes held it up for her to see.

"Watch broke." He explained easily. Athena took it from him and held it up to the light, her eyes narrowing in concentration.

Meanwhile, Ares walked around the shop. In the thousands of years he'd existed, he'd never been to Athena's workshop. She made sure to keep him out of everything she owned. He raised a hand to touch a golden bridle that hung on the wall.

"Don't touch that," Athena said without looking at him. "It belongs to Bellerophon."

Ares withdrew his hand and ran his fingers through his hair. His gaze rose to see Hermes snickering near Athena. Ares scowled and made motion to hit him, and he stopped immediately.

"Behave." She ordered. She set the watch down and tinkered with it. She used small tools to move the hands around. "Here," She said after a few moments. She handed it back to Hermes and he grinned.

"Thanks sis!" he said. The watch was fastened to his wrist immediately and it started ticking perfectly. Ares raised an eyebrow. He silently wondered how Athena could do things so easily. She seemed to be the most perfect gods out of gods that were already perfect.

"I have a request, Hermes." The war goddess said before her brother could make it out of the door. Hermes turned around to face her.

"Request?"

"Father has suggested that we build new roads in order to spread our ideals towards others. I need the proper materials from Hephaestus before I start making any plans." She said. Hermes nodded in agreement.

"So I guess an ol' visit to our Uncie is in order? Be right back." He said before taking off. Athena sighed and focused on her desk as Ares moved towards her.

"Uncie?" He repeated. Hermes was always coming up with new words that confused him. They made no sense at all. "He needs to stop spending so much time with those blasted humans. The only thing they're good for is a good fight." He said with a scoff.

Athena rolled her eyes and lifted a shield from the desk. She moved towards the wall and hung it up on a peg. "Of course you would think that." She said disappointedly. Ares took the opportunity to look at her body, as he always did. He couldn't deny the fact that the goddess attracted his attention. Had he been Paris, he would have given her the apple. It would have avoided the spear being dug into his chest.

_Thin in all the right places. _He thought to himself. Ares unconsciously rubbed the middle of his chest, where he could still feel the spear being impaled on him. He cursed the goddess before him. He felt the familiar anger rise through his veins whenever he thought about it. The god of war clenched his fists.

"Now answer me," he said through grit teeth. "Are you going to do it?"

Athena sighed and turned to face him. "I told you, no. I have better things to do than to ask the Enrinyes to chase some pathetic whore who didn't want to bed you." Ares knew that the Furies would rather listen to his sister than him. They refused to do anything he said, even if he was the personification of the chaos they loved so much. Ares growled and seized Athena's arm. He whipped her about to face him and brought her to him.

"Now you listen to me you blasted bi—"

"Release me." Athena said. To spite her, Ares held her arm in a bone-crushing grip. He waited for her to let out a cry of pain, or at least to see her eyes widen in fear.

There was nothing.

She merely looked at him passively, refusing to show any sort of emotion. She knew that if she did, it would give him a sense of satisfaction. She knew he was waiting for it. Too bad it would never come. Ares pressed her against the wall and grit his teeth, his eyes consumed by fire.

"I ask you one thing. One thing and you can't do it? You're too busy kissing Zeus's fat old shriveled up as—"

"Silence!" Athena boomed. Ares's eyes narrowed into slits. "Do not disrespect our father." She said sternly. Ares shoved her into the corner and she merely glared at him.

"He is not my father."

"You know well he is."

"Hades has been a better father than he has."

"That's why you hold so much hate for Zeus," Athena said in realization. She stood straight and took a step out of the corner he'd shoved her into. "You bear the hatred of our uncle as well. He has fed you lies."

"That's not true!" Ares bellowed. He pushed her in again and crushed her body with his. "Hades is the only one that knows the truth—"

"Get off me."

"No!" He shouted. "You need to listen! It's high time Zeus learned his place—"

"_You_ learn your place!" Athena spat in return. "You are beneath him. You always will be!" The entire room fell silent. The only sound was the sound of Ares's angry breaths.

"I wish I could kill you." He stated. It was said so powerfully, she could sense his hatred for her. Athena pushed him off her and righted her dress.

"You know well you can't. Get out." Ares didn't respond. He gave her one last seething glare before turning around and slamming the door behind him. Only then did Athena sigh in relief and check to see the damage done to her arm.


	2. Curse you Athena!

Ares stormed down the halls of Olympus and entered his own room. He glared at his door. Of course it was made out of bronze instead of gold. The other gods did everything they could to show him how little they thought of him. He'd show them. Some day.

He slammed his door and of course, it dented. He threw his armor onto his bed and let out a loud bellow of rage. "Curse you Athena!" He screamed. She made his ichor boil. She made every fiber in his being seethe in overwhelming hatred for her. She was perfect, and he wasn't. She was loved by all, he only received loathing. _They were the same!_ He couldn't wait for the day when he would have the power of Zeus. The day when he could make her whimper. It would be music to his ears. He would kill her slowly. Take the air from her frail body and glorify the moment she ceased to be. The mere thought of it made his body ache for battle.

Ares ran his fingers through his dark brown hair. He even had the same hair color as Athena. Every time he saw his reflection, he saw her as well. His servants thought he was merely vain because he liked looking at himself in the mirror, but more often than not it was to see _her. _

He groaned and headed towards his bathroom. His body felt oddly put out and he didn't have time to find a maid. He entered his large bathroom and groaned yet again. Quickly he tore off his robes and stepped into the large pool. A handmaid had been waiting in the corner and he sent her away. As soon as his body settled in the hot water, he felt the tension ease in his sore muscles. He leaned his head back and wet his hair. The hot water felt good against his temples. He closed his vibrant green eyes and tried to rest.

Immediately his mind flew to her. Aphrodite. Ever since they were caught by Hephaestus, he refused to bed her. He would no longer be the fool everyone made fun of at celebration. For too long had he been treated like a five year-old.

"_You are the embodiment of a man… yet you act like a boy." _

He remembered the words Hades said to him clearly. _"It's time you rise to your full splendor."_

"Splendor," He said to himself. Athena was born in full splendor. She wasn't born as a small Olympian child. When she sprang from Zeus's head, she was already a woman. She knew everything. She did everything right, unlike him.

"Curse you Athena!" He bellowed again. He wanted to break her. He wanted to see her cry, for _once._

Ares sighed and stood from his bath, the crystal clear water falling like glistening tear drops off the god's body. He grabbed his towel and dried himself. It was time to pay a visit to his true father.

The Underworld was just as beautiful and majestic as Olympus itself, yet it was a lot more sinister. Ares walked straight in, shoving all of the unnecessary ghosts that dared to get near him. The mortal spirits knew to stay away from the dark powerful aura that surrounded the god of war. Ares passed Lethe and Mnemosyne without a second glance. He knew the exact path he was taking. The furies taunted him from afar and he only set his jaw.

"Spoken to the great Athene yet?" They screamed in their shrill voices.

"Silence!" Ares bellowed. He turned around and a great gust of air hit them and knocked them into a broken pillar. It crashed down on a few wandering souls. The furies simply cackled once they recovered.

Ares managed to get to Hades's castle without killing or re-killing anyone. He burst through the large double doors, to see his uncle leaning over a dark pool.

"I was expecting your arrival." Hades said solemnly. Ares nodded. He knew better than to speak when not spoken to in front of Hades. The war god had more respect for him than he did his own father.

"Tell me how to make Athena suffer. I want to make her cry!" Ares said with a pound of his fists. The sound of his punch resonated through the halls. The dark overlord rolled his dark eyes and slowly moved towards his ivory throne. Ares tapped his foot impatiently. A while later Hades was only half way there. "Seat yourself old man!" Ares shouted impudently. Hades turned around quickly and with a great gust of air sent him flying into the wall behind him.

"You must learn patience, or you will be useless." Was Hades's only response. He sat down on his throne and faced the recovering Ares. He slowly stood and faced his uncle.

"You want to hurt Athene, you say?" Hades repeated. His all-knowing eyes focused on Ares, and it unsettled him. He coughed uncomfortably.

"Yes." The war god's voice was not as strong as it usually was.

"She is the favorite of Zeus. It will not benefit you." Hades responded. Ares shook his head, his hair fanning out around him. He refused to believe that. He'd been punished by Zeus more than any other god on Olympus. He knew the consequence he would have.

"But I have to! She has ridiculed me for far too long. I am the laughing stock of Olympus because of her!" Ares shouted. Hades stared at him, completely emotionless.

"So hit her where it hurts. With out actually hitting her."

Hours later Ares was once again on Olympus. He'd been pondering over what Hades had advised him to do. How could he truly hurt her? She had no weaknesses. And if she did, she was good at hiding them. Ares stopped pacing when he heard knocking at the door. He didn't bother to open it.

"Would you stop stomping around? I can hear it all the way from my room," He heard a very feminine voice say. He turned around to face Aphrodite, who'd gotten uncomfortably close to him. Ares shook his head.

"What's the matter?" She asked, when she saw his expression. Ares simply fumed.

"Everything's the matter. Now get out of my sight." He said forcefully. Aphrodite clucked her tongue with the roof of her mouth and materialized on the ottoman at the end of his bed.

"Touchy touchy. In a foul mood today?"

"When am I not? Why are you still here?" He was sick and tired of the love goddess trying to tempt him. Before he would have fallen into her trap. Now, under the guidance of The Rich One, he knew not to.

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Come now, you can't still be upset over Hepphy's little trick. That was _thousands_ of years ago." Aphrodite spoke light-heartedly, but it had no effect on him.

"I don't fuc—you call him Hepphy?" He asked when he turned around. Aphrodite shrugged. "If you must know, it's because of that blasted Athena. Curse her to Tartarus." Ares said angrily. The air around them suddenly turned cold. It crackled with malice but Aphrodite was the only one affected by it.

"Watch your tongue," Aphrodite said, cold fear settling into her chest. "What did Athena do this time?" She, like many others, wasn't too fond of Athena. She was constantly at her father's side and never knew how to have actual fun, unlike Aphrodite.

"She has refused to speak to the Enrinyes."

"And you're upset over that?"

Ares nodded. Aphrodite rolled her eyes and walked towards him, her soft fingers slowly kneading his shoulders. "I'll speak to them, if you wish. Then all will be solved." Her voice was so soft, Ares almost believed her. But he knew that underneath her feminine exterior she was cold and heartless.

"And risk them ruining your perfect hair?" He challenged. Aphrodite's hands immediately moved from his shoulders.

"Well when you put it that way… What has gotten into you lately? You've been so mean."

"I've always been mean!"

"But not to _me_." She said in a hurt tone. Ares shrugged her off and refused to look at her.

"Things change." He said. Aphrodite sadly took a few steps away from him. The god of war couldn't see the small tear at the corner of her eyes.

"Yes… I can tell they do. Good bye Ares.."

The door slammed behind her.


End file.
